LONDON (Reuters) – The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is to discuss ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the international shipping industry this week at a meeting in London, it said last Friday. The IMO's environment committee is considering a proposal to introduce mandatory technical and operational measures to reduce emissions from the shipping industry.

Shipping is not covered by the UN's Kyoto Protocol and slow progress on a new global climate treaty means the industry does not have any mandatory emissions laws.

The global shipping sector was responsible for 847 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2007 — more than Germany's output of CO2 from fossil fuels, according to an IMO study in 2009.

The sector's emissions have doubled since 1990 and are forecast to continue rising at a rate of 2.5 per cent per year.

The committee, meeting this week, will focus on plans for an Energy Efficiency Design Index and other ways to improve the energy efficiency of ships.

"The Committee will additionally discuss further work concerning market-based measures, including the possible development of a mandatory IMO instrument," the IMO said in a statement.

Proposals for an emissions reduction target for the industry and whether the entire world fleet of merchant vessels should be subject to an emissions cap were on the table.

Water management systems, ship recycling and pollution from packaged goods transported from sea will also be discussed.

Oxfam plans to place a giant lifebelt over the anchor of the metal ship sculpture outside the IMO building at the start of the week-long meeting, it said last Friday.

Oxfam activists will be also be brandishing placards shaped like lifebelts with the message "Climate Change Kills – Be a Lifesaver," outside the IMO building.

Oxfam is calling for delegates to consider measures to reduce uncapped and rising shipping emissions, while at the same time raising more than $10 billion per year in new climate cash through the auctioning of emission permits, it said in a statement.